Lovers
by 920306
Summary: AU. 365 days, and he'd show her what it felt like to fall in love with a fool. — Naruto/Sakura.
1. September: Sakura Haruno

09 September 2012

Lovers  
: _theSincerities_

_Prologue._

* * *

Naruto was an ambitious man; it was only logical he'd consider her his endeavor.

No one ever tried for Sakura—no, not _Sakura Haruno_, at least. No one tried for something they knew they wouldn't win; but that's exactly why Naruto tried—because he _knew _he'd win. He even promised her twice the first day he met her—that's how ridiculously sure of himself he was.

She luckily decided not to pay him any mind; after all, he was only being daring . . . or so she thought.

* * *

**September.**

.

.

.

"Listen," he said as he propelled backwards in his best attempt to face her.

She was looking forward, anywhere but him, in clear indifference; her evident priority was ignoring him, and he was sad to admit she was doing a damn good job at it. After all, he'd never been so breathless and excited in a mere three minutes before, which was mostly due to the fact that today was the first time he'd ever had to throw out every scheme and idea he had, one after another, _on the spot_.

"—_just one date_. Dinner or something; why not dinner?"

"Sorry, but I don't know you," she spat, eyes leering at the front desk. God, he could practically _smell _the coolness of their peppermint.

"Naruto Uzumaki, freshly-promoted jonin, an October tenth Libra," he threw back, determined. "Come on, _please_? Just one date."

His heart sprang itself into his esophagus, it seemed, the moment she flicked her eyes—_so pretty, so intense and green_—onto him for the first time, immediately _daring _him to try again.

"I'm willing to bet you don't even know my name."

His first reaction was to search her lab coat for a nametag . . . but she gave a sharp turn toward the back of the desk counter, briefly giving the secretary a silent nod of acknowledgement. Just as promptly, she streamed past the counter, past him, and traced back toward the corridor she'd originally come from, now with a handful of paper-clipped documents secured on their clipboard. Naruto shot behind her.

"What's your name, Miss?"

No answer.

He stared into the starched fabric of her lab coat, begging the creases for mercy. Brow furrowed, he gave a deep inhale and tried again, now fixing his pace to hers, gradually gaining speed behind her faint shadow.

"I'd be honored to have dinner with you tonight, Miss, but before that I'd very much like to ask for your name," he paused, "so I could ask you formally—_properly_, to join me this evening on a casual trip around the corner of the village square to the _Ichiraku Ramen Bar_."

He was sincerely stunned when there was an abrupt halt, enough for him to feel his zori sweep beneath him uneasily, as he avoided her significantly petite figure. There was a thrilling silence; he even found himself chanting an incoherent prayer in his mind when she faced him for the second time that day, expression fiercely intimidating.

He forced himself to hold his ground regardless.

"Why do you want to have dinner with me?" she said instead.

Despite his slight fall of breath, he accepted the challenge.

"I want to have dinner with you because I want to get to know you." He looked at the floor, grudgingly. "Is that okay?"

"Sakura Haruno."

The millisecond he looked up, now breathless, she'd already turned the corner.

. . .

* * *

"If you're not busy, would you like to join me for dinner tonight, Miss Haruno?"

Naruto found himself standing the straightest he'd stood before (aside from the times he was in Lady Tsunade's presence), eyes feeling the most alert off duty, voice hard and straightforward; it was amazing how much command the woman, perhaps only 5'3 or '4, held. Thankfully, the azalea bushes surrounding the hospital entrance and the dim, sunburst shine fanning over the double-doors soothed him; but, even then, with her eyes suddenly fixed on him, he nearly fell back.

She looked at him in the eye, seemingly stripping him of his character. A bare sense of relief slinked past him when she glanced at her wrist; then, something amazing happened.

"Sure," she said, _smiling_, eyes suddenly unguarded, expression heavenly and warm.

Before he could recollect himself, she blew his senses further apart.

"—and you don't have to call me Miss Haruno; I'm not on duty after six. Just Sakura's fine."

Although unsure, Naruto quickly jolted into prime-command, a smirk etching itself for her.

"Just Sakura, eh? Okay, you got it!" He watched her crook her head curiously. "Are you okay with ramen, then, _Sakura_?"

"As long as you're paying, yes."

She laughed, and, for the third time that evening, Naruto strayed from his course.

. . .

* * *

"Here, I'll walk you home."

Naruto's mind wrought through the bare hour or two he'd just spent, and through the femme voice replaying itself and its replies for him in his head. He then chose to look directly at the rosette gathering her coat (laid generously and folded beside her on the counter with her purse), albeit more intent on the interesting blush-pink locks held in a stub at the base of her neck.

Eyes tracing the viridian sweater hugging her figure, Naruto's chest swelled with uncalled-for responsibility; an unknowing, duteous, pride.

"Are you sure?" she called over her shoulder.

"Of course!" he beamed, now holding out a hand. "I'll hold your purse, if you want."

Although at first questioning, Sakura handed him the purse before proceeding to slip her arms back into her lab coat. He returned it to her soon after, the two of them ducking under the entrance flaps simultaneously.

"So, from what you've told me, I know a bit about you now, _right_, Sakura? Enough to call you an acquaintance." He winked. "Like, your full name is _Miss_ Sakura Haruno, lead medic-nin at the Konohagakure hospital—the _only_ hospital in Konohagakure, too; you're Lady Tsunade's past apprentice—Lady Tsunade's_ successful _past apprentice . . ."

He strayed, watching her carefully for approval, or (God forbid) disapproval. He nearly sighed when he saw her unchanged expression, which was at least neutral; so, he decided to continue, smugly, though mostly playful.

"—you're a jonin, which isn't a surprise at all if you're the lead medic-nin in the entire village, _just_ below the Hokage herself—_I'm actually surprised you aren't something higher_. Your birthday is in late March, and you're an Aries; you're a fan of sweets, and you don't really like soups," he paused, grinning cheekily. "—but you made an exception when I asked you out for ramen today, but _only _because I was paying."

He chuckled when she shot him a feigned deadpan, and was convinced to keep going when he felt her lips quirk hesitantly.

"You've been living alone and supporting yourself since you turned eighteen, two years ago, you said, _aaand_," he gave an exaggerated look up at the lanterns glowing above them, "... you are going to fall _madly_ in love with me within a year." The corners of his eyes crinkled, and suddenly he felt like an academy student again. "_I promise_."

Sakura rolled her eyes, now three paces ahead. She shook her head, briefly looking over her shoulder and into his teasing blue eyes—_royal-blue _eyes. She looked rather unimpressed, and this only made him grin wider.

"You're free to believe what you'd like," she shot back, concluding her statement with the turn of her head, now forcing him to stare at her back.

He decided a light jog would prove efficient, so he did. He jogged back up beside her, now feeling himself radiate in confidence. As he slowed back into a gradual step-step, he leaned forward, facing her despite her uninterested vibe; her cheeks _were _rounder and holding something back . . . perhaps that smile he'd seen stifle itself.

"The hard part's over, Sakura."

She glanced at him. "Why's that?"

"My name's Naruto—_I told you that from the start_— so technically you already know who I am." He fought back another grin and failed. "Now all that's really left is for you to _want _Naruto."

She scoffed this time and again took the lead, now five steps ahead.

"Why would I_ want _Naruto?" she called.

"Because_ I_ want _you_," he sang back.

They now stood before the entrance of a two-story complex, Sakura now rummaging in her purse and further ignoring Naruto. He grazed over the area, noting the streetlights at either side of the reasonably sized complex, then at the wooden staircase about a yard from them. By the time she'd pulled a chain of keys, Naruto was in front of her, grin crooked and eyes fixed on her—_only _her.

She shifted around him, and he followed, blocking her again.

"Did you enjoy dinner?"

"More or less." She pursed her lips. "The ramen was delicious."

"Would you like to join me again sometime?"

"I'll think about it."

She pivoted, and he blocked her once more.

"Do you think you'll fall in love with me?"

"No."

With this, he lunged forward and gave her a well-planted kiss on the cheek, halting her fully, before doubling back and beginning another jog, this time opposite of her complex. He waved at her mildly repulsed, mostly stunned, figure.

"I'll see you tomorrow, same time, same place!" He waved harder. "Be there!"

As he turned the corner, still facing her direction, he caught sight of that breathtaking smile.

"_You will_," he murmured.

. . .

* * *

**next time**: October.

* * *

note: This little work should be approximately twelve to thirteen chapters, more or less. For those of you who didn't notice, this is an AU fic, _just _to be clear.

Based solely on our favorite (I'm assuming about 80% of you are reading this because you at least tolerate this evident pair; forgive me if I'm statistically incorrect), NaruSaku, we will follow the likely-used and possibly cliche pursuit Naruto takes after Sakura over the course of one year, twelve months. Expect romance, possible humor/sly remarks and/or storytelling, an inkling of drama (maybe), and just an overall straightforward, '_for the sole enjoyment of my readers and myself_' story.

Oh, that's right: This is an AU fic. I repeat, **AU**.

note2: Due to real-life inconveniences, updates are likely to be abrupt. I apologize, but hopefully this doesn't affect your enjoyment :)

Yvette.

* * *

**Disclaimer**: Credit for _Naruto _belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.


	2. October: Naruto Uzumaki

19 November 2012

* * *

By the final week of September, the hospital came to familiarize him as "the blond one." No one bothered or even cared to ask for his name (or to really focus on his patient records, either), instead finding it amusing to question their coworker, Sakura, with their mere, blunt descriptions.

_He's been stopping by more often than not, Miss Haruno._

_We think he's interested in you, Miss Haruno._

Naruto smiled heartily the first time he realized this. For Sakura, he was and "always would be" an acquaintance, or so she originally chose to say . . .

_Oh, it's the blond one again: He asked to see you during your break._

* * *

**October.**

.

.

.

"Have you ever noticed how many events go on during the October season, Sakura?" He'd become accustom to chiming her name when given the chance; so much, in fact, that he wondered if she'd noticed the frequency. "—the trees changing color and the skies looking purple instead of that pretty pink I'd always hear the academy students go on about during my days with helping out—."

The hospital workers had grown weary of questioning his gradually increasing presence in the office—(after noting the irritableness their higher-up, Miss Haruno, had acquired from their pestering), and for un-medical-related reasons, too! So, when one spotted him sitting backwards on a chair (likely after having slinked his way past authorities . . . _again_), arms supporting his slumped head as Sakura shuffled her petite body over a shelf of patient records, he made sure to glide past the scene skillfully, ears straining curiously.

"You help out at the academy?" she said, pulling her weight onto her toes as she stretched over the barely-accessible shelf.

Naruto's posture straightened.

"Yeah, all the time! My old academy teacher lets me help out during the summer, since Lady Tsunade started nagging me about doing some 'good' for the community." He watched her return flatly to the ground surface and ultimately returned to his relaxed perch over the chair's back. "I mean, as if being sent on missions isn't _enough_," he chuckled; "but I guess I can see where she's coming from, since I wouldn't be doing much during my free time if it weren't for community service."

Sakura, busy handling a weekly bundle of paperwork as Naruto continued explaining himself, did not choose to look up from the form she was in the middle of signing until he mentioned (discreetly, mind you, if it weren't for the otherwise _peculiar _mentioning) his fondness for kids.

"You_ love_ kids?" She smiled and laughed to herself, which furthermore increased the new bewilderment in Naruto's expression, as well as the multiplying bursts of blush painting themselves onto his cheeks in emphasis. "That's new. I haven't met too many people—_men especially_—who actually _enjoy _being around children."

"Well, I mean, _yeah_, they're pretty annoying half of the time—_Iruka-sensei almost beat me to a pulp once when I threatened to pummel one_—so it's understandable if you haven't, but they look up to you, you know? They're still learning so it's kind of cool when they begin wanting to follow your example. You, like, suddenly become the kids' hero and they call you pet names like 'Big Brother' and they start asking you to have animal crackers with them during playtime—."

Midway into his speech, Sakura, instead of focusing on the interrupted signature beneath her pen tip, scanned the glow in his smile and the distant expression in his eyes and the softened quirk in his brow, _intrigued_.

"That actually reminds me—_they're having some sort of pumpkin carving thing this Friday_!" He bounced onto the tips of his zori out of sudden, evident excitement. "Do you wanna come help out with me? That is, _if you're not busy with work and all that _. . . It's during the early evening, so maybe you can make it."

He watched her glance down as she finished her signature, carefully, in his straining anticipation, noting the inkling of consideration etching in her brow.

"My shift ends at six," she murmured, thoughtfully.

"—_the pumpkin carving starts at five and ends at seven_—!"

With the shift of her chair, she grabbed at the handful of freshly signatured papers, eyes fixated at sliding it back into place after her. She began stepping past Naruto (by this time the startled coworker had scurried from the doorway lining in a frenzy of escalating panic), who stood abiding his answer, and flicked her eyes into his (with that familiar roundness in her cheeks as she, in Naruto's observant opinion, held back a smile).

"Konohagakure's Ninja Academy, right?"

Naruto could barely sustain his glee as he gave a single, vigorous nod.

Sakura's lip quirked as her eyes eased coolly, her steps echoing softly against the floorboards.

"I'll see if I can make it."

. . .

* * *

"—and once she finishes her shift at work you guys'll all meet her!"

"Is she pretty?" piped a voice from beside him.

"_Is she pretty_! She's—," his eyes wandered, "_here_!"

Naruto, in unison with the sudden pandemonium of orbiting heads at his table, lifted the toddler in his lap sporadically as he spotted a head of roseate—(perhaps the _only_ head of roseate in Konohagakure yet, he had come to believe)—flutter past the courtyard entrance idly. He watched as she shuffled past the various premature bodies of academy students and their parents, likely intent on finding his table, or better yet, _him_.

The moment she _did _catch sight of him, he nearly forgot how to speak.

"Is that her?" another voice demanded beyond the excitement booming around them, pulling dangerously at the hemline of Naruto's shirt when there came no reply.

"I didn't expect to see so many people here," Sakura interrupted upon reaching Naruto's lively picnic table, specifically the wave of bobbing children. She grinned when all eyes turned on her, ripe in indescribable awe and interest. "You're in charge of _all _these kids?"

"Are you Sakura-nē?"

Sakura glanced down at a petite first-year, it seemed, with two high, curled, pigtails and exceptionally wide and brimming eyes, then turned fully to the little girl by lowering herself into a crouch.

"I am! How did you know?"

"Naruto-nī said a girl named Sakura was going to come here! He said she was working!"

When Sakura caught sight of Naruto (now towering over both the academy student and her), she followed the gesture for her to stand.

"Everyone, _this is Sakura_! She's going to help you all carve and paint pumpkins!" he boomed as he led her to the table of students.

In a near instant, an uproar of cheers burst into the nightly, October air, and to Sakura's amazement, tiny hands began pulling at her toward the table benches and paintbrushes, along with the bombardment of questions thrown at her from their beholders. She soon found herself sitting between the children and in front of Naruto, who sat with the toddler he originally held in his arms when she arrived.

Grinning equally as bright as the faces around them combined, he shoving a relatively large pumpkin in her direction.

"Most of these guys are painting since we can't really trust them with kunai unless they're at least third-years—." He paused upon noting Sakura staring at the toddler pounding at the table in jubilee. "Oh, and this here's Moé! Her sister's the one with the pigtails."

"Sakura-nē, are you going to paint with us? Do you know how to use a kunai?"

As Sakura's readied attention (_clad with the sincerest of smiles_) flicked deliberately to the voice's origin, (a little boy busy attempting to force his way onto the bench), Naruto concluded that asking her to join him at the academy's pumpkin-carving event was perhaps the best decision he'd made that month—_especially_ after she burst into laughter rather than shrieking expectedly when one of the second-years smothered the table in paint. In fact, when she wound up like him with one of the first-years on her lap and three others sitting around her and peeking over her shoulder as she swept her brush over a willing student's face, he nearly missed the alarming pinch and whine from another child in _desperate_ need for another glob of red paint (not blue, **red**!).

"What kind of pumpkin is he going to be?" Sakura asked, readying the kunai in her hands with a comically growing, determined expression—back hunching and sleeves rolling.

"_Silly_!"

"—with eyebrows and missing teeth?"

The children squealed an array of agreements.

. . .

* * *

When the skies were gradually through darkening, the courtyard freshly lit with scattered lanterns, Naruto found himself staring mesmerizingly at the paint-splattered Sakura. She sat, _unaffected _by the exceptionally enormous and otherwise ridiculously enraging-to-a-woman (or so Naruto would have originally believed) splotch of blue on her sweater—instead intent on carving a "horrifying" expression on possibly her fifth pumpkin as the children fought to paint the previous four lined against the table's edge.

_Her sleeves are even rolled!—_his voice screeched excitedly in his head.

"I'm guessing you're the famous Sakura?"

Sakura, along with Naruto and a handful of uninterested glances from the children, turned to the academy teacher, clad in his jōnin-wear, observing from his stance beside the table.

"_Well, I don't think I'd call myself famous_—" she responded, humbly shaking her head with a small quirk in her lips.

"With the way Naruto speaks about you, I'd willingly say otherwise!" He laughed, holding out a hand. "Thank you for stopping by. I'm Iruka, Naruto's old academy teacher and the manager of today's event."

"Isn't she great, Sensei? The kids love her!"

"I'm not surprised," Iruka nodded warmly at Sakura. "We'd enjoy having you stop by again for future events."

"Oh," she shifted bashfully, "I'd love to, but I'd have to check in with my schedule at work . . ."

"You're welcome here anytime, Sakura."

Eyes in the direction of the pumpkin stand, Iruka apologized and managed a good-bye before hurriedly padding toward two third-years struggling with an overgrown pumpkin. Naruto then turned expectantly to Sakura when he noted the parents beginning to tidy up around them along with the rest of the academy teachers.

"Sakura, I was wondering: Are you were busy this upcoming Sunday?"

The children's ears perked innocently, despite their feigned attention on the paint in front of them. They beamed up at Sakura, awaiting an answer curiously.

"That depends on the time," she threw back, amid of carving an eye onto a now-completed pumpkin.

"Sometime around six or seven 'til about eight or nine; whenever, actually: You're welcome to stay until whenever."

Both Sakura and the students around them grew silent, which mildly startled him. She looked up at him through her lashes, wrist and paintbrush strayed in the air before the surface of the pumpkin's face.

"Stay for what?"

It was Naruto's turn to stay quiet. He blinked back at her until his expression flickered in realization, which then reflected in the incredibly sheepish chuckle he gave. Even the students deadpanned, some of which laughing at his mishap.

"Oh!—_crap_. I mean, I meant to ask if you'd like to stop by my place for dinner, a DIY top ramen dinner and then dessert—_which I'd hope you wouldn't mind too much_. . ."

He shuffled at the expressionless stare she directed toward him. Honestly, he wasn't so sure if he should be worried when she resumed her painting (the children following her lead), or simply relieved he didn't have to force-apply his confident, currently _inexistent_, being to look back at the cool eyes of peppermint searing through him.

"—I understand if you think it's too sudden; _I mean, I've only really visited you a few times at the hospital, so I'm kind of lucky you even remember my name_—but it would be a good time, if you ask me, to just sit down and hopefully get to know each other some outside of work and acquaintanceship." His breath hitched as he felt her, (despite not having her literally look up at him, urging for him to finish with commanding eyes), listening for a finale to his proposal—so he straightened his posture and hardened his otherwise _questioning_, unsure voice, ". . . _right_?"

"Sure, I don't see why not."

"_Really_—?—I mean, _that's great!_ I live two blocks down from here, actually! It's that old red complex—like two or three stories or something, _I, uh, kind of don't remember which_—right around the corner to the village's east wing. Do you have work? I could just stop by to pick you up or—."

She stood, leaving his coil of words streaming in the air.

"I'm off on weekends. If you remember where I live, just go ahead and meet me at six."

As he fought for a significant agreement or reply (at least), Naruto nodded at her as she walked toward the entrance tables, sixth pumpkin in hand; then, the pumpkin's owner scurried behind her, leaving Naruto and the rest of the dozen students distributed around the craft-ridden picnic table.

. . .

* * *

_Sunday.  
_**Naruto's apartment.**

**.**

"I actually do this more often than I'd have originally imagined. My old sensei has a habit of dropping off vegetable baskets every weekend, so I eventually decided it'd be an okay idea to maybe use some of the veggies in my ramen. It worked out _way _better than I thought, and that way the number of soiled greens totally went down."

A steaming bowl slid its way in front of Sakura, who listened as Naruto finished layering his set of chopsticks and bowl opposite of her.

Much to her interest, the little apartment managed its small size with coziness, especially when the nooks of the kitchen/entrance nested numerous houseplants; in fact, her eyes fell onto the shelf behind the dining table upon arriving, instantly noting the pots of wildlife and leaves upon it. The dining table, too, although compact in length and perimeter, served well enough for a guest. Like a button, she fit in almost perfectly.

"—so, in case you're wondering what you're eating, this is just a simple ramen packet—miso flavor—that I went ahead and boiled down ahead of time before picking you up; then, I threw in a few slices of sautéed pork, diced carrots, basal, hardboiled eggs, naruto slices, and, finally, some sesame seeds sprinkled on top!"

Naruto managed a humble rather than shy smile, and sat himself down in front of her.

"I hope you like it."

She thanked him and held up her pair of chopsticks, readily hovering with them over the impressive display in her bowl. The aroma alone was enough to help dip her way to the noodles coiled above the broth, and she hoped (hoped to God, to _anything_—to something with authority over her behavior) it was only in her head when she felt her eyes flicker back.

Evidently, she decided, the dish was made with love, or Naruto was just _that _great a cook.

"_The richness is phenomenal_," she breathed upon swallowing her helping blissfully. "It's better than I'd have thought was possible with top ramen—."

Naruto chuckled at the shimmer in her expression.

"You'll have to thank my friend Chōji, then. He's the one who even mentioned experimenting with instant ramen—and he totally convinced me once a year or two back when I Iet him mess with the things I had in the fridge." He bit into one of the tender slices of pork and swallowed equally as fast. "The guy's an amazing cook, I tell ya, so if you think this is good, you haven't even _seen _phenomenal."

Sakura was reluctant to admit she was almost too scared to believe him.

. . .

* * *

About a half-hour into their dinner, Naruto stood to clear their emptied dishes and also to switch on the bulb above the sink.

Outside, the village had obscured gradually with the skies; so the light, although dim, provided a satisfactory veil of caramel-colored illumination that brought out the shadowed doubles of all items and figures in the flat. To Sakura's request, he also switched on the radio on the counter by the toaster and the crook in the wall; and, like the light from above the sink, a static veil of news broadcastings, subtle and reassuring, occupied the empty air around them.

He pivoted and sat back down, this time after laying in front of them a kettle of tea with its pair of mugs.

"I thought some tea would do the job with washing down all that starch we just ate. Is that fine with you?" Naruto watched as Sakura willingly agreed tea was a soothing choice before leaning over to pour her a near-full mug. "It's chamomile—'_cause that's actually all I could find in my cabinet in the moment _. . ."

As he finished pouring and moved onto his mug, he began to murmur to himself dubiously about tea and how lame it was for him to have even said that and why didn't he just say it was chamomile and end it at that, and, _Wow, Naruto, are you really mumbling all this in front of her?_ Then, he heard something, and his heart did its job by (finally) silencing him when it seemingly jabbed into his throat.

Was that a laugh? _Just then_—no, seriously, a _laugh_?

His eyes inched forward and caught view of her—_Sakura_—laughing pitifully at his utter lameness. Suddenly, he felt notorious.

"Heh,_ sorry_ . . ."

. . .

* * *

"Yeah, so I almost had to repeat my fifth-year in the academy, 'cause, I mean, I was a bit of a troublemaker, so my grades weren't as great as I would've liked. _But_! _But_—I still ended up graduating last minute, all thanks to Iruka-sensei and his understanding self._ I wasn't as dumb as my grades made me seem_."

Nearly an hour into the visit, Sakura sat interested with her third helping of tea as Naruto filled her in on his past. It would be eight soon, the two noticed with a quick glance at the clock above the entrance, so, this lead to Naruto standing and making his way to the fridge, and Sakura toward her directed path to the restroom.

. . .

* * *

"_It's your birthday_—?!"

Sakura, although apologetic for slamming her weight onto the table, stared at Naruto wide-eyed and disapprovingly as he avoided eye contact, his attempt failing when the impish quirk in his lips punctured through his expression.

In front of them were two slices of expertly made cake, the cake itself sitting at the heart of the table; beside each plate and slice were two glasses of milk.

"You invited me over for dinner without telling me it wasyour _birthday_—?"

"I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I mean, _wouldn't it have seemed weird_? It shouldn't matter too much that it's my birthday, right?" He finally looked up and urged her to take a breather by sitting. "I didn't want to make you feel as though you had to come by just because it's my birthday; I wanted you to stop by because you wanted to."

Sakura sat, her eyes fixed on the slice in front of her.

"Now," he said, fully dismissing the otherwise rewarding reaction; "in case you're wondering, I actually did spend most of my day out with my friends earlier today. That guy I mentioned earlier, Chōji, is the one who baked this cake for me as a gift. It's sponge cake, specifically stuffed with strawberries and peaches, I think he said, and the top, as you can see, was originally decorated with blackberries."

She marveled deeper at the filling.

"Did he mention what kind filling this is?" she asked, voice clearly outlining her interest.

"He said the icing and fillings are buttercream and custard. I'm not kidding—the guy _loves _cooking."

At his signal, they lifted their forks.

"How old are you now, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Twenty-three. You?"

At that, Sakura smirked and shook her head.

"Twenty-two."

"Not bad," he said with a wink before taking his first bite.

. . .

* * *

The stars had fully peaked their way into their shifts for the night, and Sakura now stood outside of her own complex with Naruto before her in a coat. With her was a paper bag hosting an extra slice of cake in a simple bento box, as well as her personal coat and purse hanging from her shoulder, keys readied in her hand.

"That ramen dish was definitely one of the best homemade meals I've had in a while. Your friend taught you well."

"He's got a real talent. Having you over, though—now _that _deserves some praise." Naruto smirked. "A big thanks_, actually, _because I honestly wasn't sure if you'd agree to it at first . . . since, you know, it was at my house and all. I thought it would have been too sudden or something—so I _really_ appreciate you for still coming in the end."

"I decided I'd take the risk. I actually let my neighbors know that I'd be out for a few hours, and to please notify the ANBU black ops if I hadn't returned by ten latest."

Naruto had trouble holding back his smile, though still maintained a level tone.

"Would you like to join me again sometime?"

"I'll see if I can pencil you in somewhere."

With that, Sakura signaled her goodbye with a jingle of her keys (eyes warm and complimentary with the small smile she offered), and a skid in her turn toward the flight of stairs.

"Happy birthday, Naruto."

He stood watching her figure wade step-by-step out of sight, his name, in her honey-glazed voice, lightly trotting lettered footsteps into his head.

. . .

* * *

**Next time**: November.

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note: Happy Thanksgiving break, my darlings!

I've been absent for a good month or so; life has been hectic, but, because of this generous one-week vacation, I've finally managed to update this little work. For those of you who were anticipating another chapter, here you have it! and for those of you who are newcomers, welcome! I thoroughly hope you enjoyed yourselves, because this certainly was a jerk to write up once I finished the pumpkin-carving concept (that's partially why I struggled to update, because I just couldn't get my nitwit-self to properly word the second half of this chapter for a good half of my time away). Nevertheless, this chapter wound up being a good 3500words as opposed to the first, so let's also hope that was satisfactory enough.

I don't know about you guys, but I liked the fun concepts in this one! I mean, who doesn't like pumpkin-carving and painting and eating and birthdays? Oh, and for those of you who may have forgotten, this is an **AU **fic, so, hopefully that'll shine some light onto some of the otherwise questionable concepts brought up in this chapter.

note2: I'll be sure to strain myself through the next chapter, hopefully enough to update a little quicker than this one. Otherwise, thank you all and until next time. Your support is welcome and much appreciated! :D

_Yvette._

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**Disclaimer**: Credit for _Naruto _belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.


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